Translational instrument interface for surgical robot and surgical robot systems comprising the same

ABSTRACT

Surgical instruments for use in a surgical robot are provided herein. The instruments are preferably part of a translational instrument interface and are removably coupled to the surgical robot. In one aspect, the translational instrument interface has a slave hub mounted on a distal end of the slave unit, a sterile shield insertable within the slave hub, and an instrument having an end-effector for contacting tissue insertable within the sterile shield. The instrument may be disposable after a single use. The handle of the surgical robot is preferably coupled to the translational instrument interface such that actuation at the handle causes movement of the end-effector for performing surgery.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No.17/372,163, filed Jul. 9, 2021, which is a continuation of U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 15/976,812, filed May 10, 2018, now U.S. Pat. No.11,058,503, which claims priority to U.S. Provisional Application Ser.No. 62/505,018, filed May 11, 2017, the entire contents of each of whichare incorporated herein by reference.

FIELD OF USE

This application generally relates to remotely actuated surgical robotsand disposable instruments for the same.

BACKGROUND

Numerous environments and applications call for remote actuation withteleoperated surgical devices. These applications include finemanipulation in assembly tasks, manipulation in narrow places,manipulation in dangerous or contaminated environments, manipulation inclean-room or sterile environments and manipulation in surgicalenvironments, whether open field or minimally invasive. While theseapplications vary along parameters such as precise tolerances andtypical end user, each demands many of the same features from ateleoperated system, such as the ability to carry out dexterousmanipulation with high stiffness and precision along with forcefeedback.

Surgical applications are now discussed in more detail as arepresentative example of an application for a teleoperated devicesystem where known devices exist but significant shortcomings areevident in the current state of the art.

Open surgery is still the standard technique for most surgicalprocedures. It has been used by the medical community for severaldecades and consists of performing the surgical tasks by making a longincision in the abdomen or other area of the body, through whichtraditional surgical tools are inserted. However, due to the longincision, this approach is extremely invasive for patients, resulting insubstantial blood loss during surgery and, typically, long and painfulrecovery periods in a hospital setting.

In order to reduce the invasiveness of open surgery, laparoscopy, aminimally invasive technique, was developed. Instead of a single longincision, several small incisions are made in the patient through whichlong and thin surgical instruments and endoscopic cameras are inserted.Because of the minimally invasive nature of the procedure, thistechnique reduces blood loss and pain and shortens hospital stays. Whenperformed by experienced surgeons, this technique can attain clinicaloutcomes similar to open surgery. However, despite the above-mentionedadvantages, laparoscopy requires extremely advanced surgical skill tomanipulate the rigid and long instrumentation. The entry incision actsas a point of rotation, decreasing the freedom for positioning andorientating the instruments inside the patient. The movements of thesurgeon's hand about this incision are inverted and scaled-up relativeto the instrument tip (“fulcrum effect”), which reduces dexterity andsensitivity and magnifies the tremors of the surgeon hands. In addition,the long and straight instruments force the surgeon to work in anuncomfortable posture for hands, arms and body, which can betremendously tiring during several hours of an operation. Therefore, dueto these drawbacks of laparoscopic instrumentation, these minimallyinvasive techniques are mainly limited to use in simple surgeries, whileonly a small minority of surgeons is able to use them in complexprocedures.

To overcome these limitations, surgical robotic systems were developedto provide an easier-to-use approach to complex minimally invasivesurgeries. By means of a computerized robotic interface, these systemsenable the performance of remote laparoscopy where the surgeon sits at aconsole manipulating two master manipulators to perform the operationthrough several small incisions. Like laparoscopy, the robotic approachis also minimally invasive, bringing the above-mentioned advantages overopen surgery in terms of pain, blood loss, and recovery time. Inaddition, it also offers better ergonomy for the surgeon compared toopen and laparoscopic techniques. However, although being technicallyeasier, robotic surgery brings several negative aspects. A majordisadvantage of these systems relates to the extremely high complexityof the existing robotic devices, which have complex mechatronic systems,leading to huge costs of acquisition and maintenance, which are notaffordable for the majority of surgical departments worldwide. Anotherdrawback of these systems comes from the fact that current surgicalrobots are large, competing for precious space within the operating roomenvironment and significantly increasing preparation time. Access to thepatient is thus impaired, which, together with a general lack offorce-feedback, raises safety concerns. Yet another potential drawbackof robotic systems is that any computer error could lead to undesirabledrifting or movement of the surgical end-effector tool at or within thepatient. Such computer errors would be especially problematic with macromovements of an end-effector in any of the three translationaldegrees-of-freedoms, i.e., left/right, upward/downward, inward/outward,which could result in catastrophic damage when the end-effector ispositioned at or within a patient during surgery.

WO97/43942 to Madhani, WO98/25666 to Cooper, and U.S. Patent ApplicationPublication No. 2010/0011900 to Burbank disclose a robotic teleoperatedsurgical instrument designed to replicate a surgeon's hand movementsinside the patient's body. By means of a computerized, roboticinterface, the instrument enables the performance of remote laparoscopy,wherein the surgeon sits at a console manipulating two joysticks toperform the operation through several small incisions. However, thissystem does not have autonomy or artificial intelligence, beingessentially a sophisticated tool fully controlled by the surgeon. Thecontrol commands are transmitted between the robotic master and roboticslave by a complex computer-controlled mechatronic system, which isextremely costly to produce and maintain and difficult to use for thehospital staff.

WO2013/014621 to Beira, the entire contents of which are incorporatedherein by reference, describes a mechanical teleoperated device forremote manipulation which comprises master-slave configuration includinga slave unit driven by a kinematically equivalent master unit such thateach part of the slave unit mimics the movement of each correspondingpart of the master unit. Although the mechanical transmission system iswell adapted to the device, the low-friction routing of the cables fromhandles through the entire kinematic chain to the instruments is costly,complex, and requires precise calibration and careful handling andmaintenance.

In addition, current teleoperated surgical instruments utilizerotational coupling or a combination of rotational and translationalcoupling of the individual degrees-of-freedom between the drive unit andthe surgical instrument. For example, U.S. Patent ApplicationPublication No. 2016/0151115 to Karguth describes a coupling mechanismwith translationary elements aimed at translational tip movements, androtary elements for rotational instrument tip movements. In addition,WO2016/189284 to Hares describes a driving mechanism with a combinedtranslational and rotational engagement, and U.S. Patent ApplicationPublication No. 2002/0072736 to Tierney describes an interface withrotational coupling of the drivable degrees-of-freedom.

Because of the high manufacturing costs of robotic teleoperated surgicalinstruments and complex mechanical teleoperated surgical instrumentsutilizing rotational coupling of degrees-of-freedom, such instrumentsmust be reused across multiple surgeries, adding complex reliability,reprocessing and performance requirements.

Accordingly, it would be desirable to provide a teleoperated device witha simple interchangeable distal instrument. It would further bedesirable to have the instruments designed for use in a surgicalenvironment such that the interchangeable distal instruments would besurgical instruments.

SUMMARY

The present invention overcomes the drawbacks of previously-knownsystems by providing surgical instruments to be removably coupled to asurgical robot. Advantageously, relatively low-cost surgical instrumentsthat contact tissue during surgery are removable and may be disposablewhile the more complex, expensive components of the surgical robot arereusable. The surgical robot preferably includes one or two teleoperatedsurgical arms, each removably coupled to the surgical instrument via aninterface, e.g., sterile shield. In this manner, sterility is maintainedthroughout a surgical procedure.

The handle(s) of the surgical robot is(are) mechanically and/orelectrically coupled to the translational instrument interface. In apreferred embodiment, the translational instrument interface includes aslave hub having a plurality of drive units, the slave hub mounted on adistal end of the slave unit, a sterile shield insertable within theslave hub, and the surgical instrument which has an end-effector and isinsertable within the sterile shield. The sterile shield may bedisposable after a single use and may be pre-sterilized. Actuation atthe handle(s) actuates movement of the end-effector of the surgicalinstrument in one or more degrees-of-freedom.

In accordance with one aspect, the instrument includes an elongatedshaft having a proximal region, a distal region, and a lumen extendingtherebetween. The instrument has an end-effector having one or moredegrees-of-freedom disposed in the distal region, and an actuatordisposed in the proximal region. The actuator may be coupled to theend-effector via a plurality of force transmitting elements, e.g. cablesand pulleys, or rod-based force transmission chains, disposed in thelumen and configured to be releasably engaged with the sterile shield ofthe surgical robot and to move the end-effector responsive totranslational movement at the actuator. The instrument may be disposableafter a single use, and may be pre-sterilized. The instrument may alsoinclude an instrument head disposed in the proximal region having arotatable portion and a locking pin. The rotatable portion and lockingpin allows the instrument to engage the sterile shield. The instrumenthead may also include a key that axially aligns the instrument with thesterile shield. The instrument further may include at least one tensioncable coupled to the actuator such that the at least one tension cableprovides a tension on the plurality of force transmitting elements.

In accordance with one aspect, the actuator includes a pair of engagerssized and shaped to be releasably coupled to a respective receptacle ofa slave hub such that movement of one of the plurality of drive unitsinduces translational movement at a first engager of the pair ofengagers in a first direction and corresponding translational movementat a second engager of the pair of engagers in an opposite direction tothereby move the end-effector in a first degree-of-freedom of theplurality of degrees-of-freedom. Each pair of engagers preferably movesparallel to a longitudinal axis of the elongated shaft along a pathwayat the proximal region responsive to translational movement at thesterile shield of the surgical robot. The actuator further may includesecond and third pairs of engagers, each independently movableresponsive to translational movement at the sterile shield of thesurgical robot to actuate movement in second and thirddegrees-of-freedom, respectively. The first, second, and third pairs ofengagers are preferably coupled to the end effector via first, second,and third force transmitting elements, respectively. In this manner,translational movement at each pair of engagers actuates movement of theend-effector in a degree-of-freedom. In one embodiment, each pair ofengagers includes a pair of hooks configured to engage correspondingreceptacles at the sterile shield to the surgical robot.

A slave hub also is provided herein that is mounted to the slave unit ofa teleoperated surgical arm. In accordance with one aspect, the slavehub has an opening sized and shaped to receive the sterile shield andthe elongated shaft of the instrument. The sterile shield provides asterile barrier between the surgical instrument and the slave hub aswell as the teleoperated surgical arm. Accordingly, the sterile shieldmay include a proximal component configured to be received through theopening of the slave hub, and a distal component configured to beengaged with the proximal component when the proximal component isdisposed within the opening of the slave hub. Either the proximalcomponent or the distal component may have an asymmetric shape thatorients the proximal component or the distal component relative to theopening in the slave hub. The slave hub may be rotated about an axis ofthe slave unit, such that the end-effector also rotates about the axis.

In accordance with an aspect, the slave hub includes a receptacle thatreleasably interengages with the actuator, wherein translational motionof the receptacle and actuator, when interengaged, actuates theend-effector via the force transmitting element. The slave hub furthermay include at least one tension cable coupled to the receptacle suchthat the at least one tension cable provides a tension on the receptaclewhen no instrument is plugged in. The drive units may be, e.g., anelectric motor, a hydraulic element or other mechanical means,operatively coupled to the receptacle to cause translation of thereceptacle and actuator. For example, rotary movement of the electricmotor may induce translational movement at the actuator via a system ofcables and pulleys, or a system of gears, leadscrews, and leadscrewnuts. Accordingly, the sterile shield includes a slide element that iscoupled between the actuator and the receptacle. Preferably, the slideelement automatically aligns the receptacle with the actuator.

In accordance with an aspect, the slave hub includes a receptacle thatreleasably interengages with the actuator, wherein translational motionof the receptacle and actuator, when interengaged, actuates theend-effector via the force transmitting element. The slave hub furthermay include at least one tension cable coupled to the receptacle suchthat the at least one tension cable provides a tension on the receptaclewhen no instrument is plugged in. The drive units may be, e.g., anelectric motor, an hydraulic element or other mechanical means,operatively coupled to the receptacle to cause translation of thereceptacle and actuator. For example, rotary movement of the electricmotor may induce translational movement at the actuator via a system ofcables and pulleys, or a system of gears, leadscrews, and leadscrewnuts. Accordingly, the sterile shield includes a slide element that iscoupled between the actuator and the receptacle. Preferably, the slideelement automatically aligns the receptacle with the actuator.

The teleoperated surgical instrument may include a control systemcoupled to the plurality of drive units. Additionally, the instrumentmay include an identification tag such that the control system detectsinformation about the instrument from the identification tag. Forexample, the identification tag may encode one of an instrument type,serial number, calibration data, range-of-motion data, end-effectorkinematics, or controlling offsets. The control system may also becoupled to a sensor that may sense misalignment of the instrument.Accordingly, the control system may generate an alert responsive to thesensor sensing misalignment of the instrument.

In accordance with one aspect of the present invention, thetranslational instrument interface which includes the surgicalinstrument having an end-effector is configured to be removably coupledto a teleoperated surgical instrument that may be purely mechanical,purely electromechanical, or a combination of mechanical andelectromechanical. In one example, micro movements at the end-effectorof the surgical instrument are actuated in three degrees-of-freedom,e.g., open/close, pitch, yaw, electromechanically while the macromovements in the three translational degrees-of-freedom of the endeffector, i.e., left/right, upward/downward, inward/outward, arecontrolled mechanically by the teleoperated surgical instrument. Theseventh degree-of-freedom, pronosupination, may be controlledelectromechanically or mechanically in the example. Preferably, thesurgical instrument is designed to be removably coupled to a slave unitof the teleoperated surgical instrument. In one embodiment, theteleoperated surgical instrument includes a master unit having forcetransmitting elements, e.g., a plurality of rigid master links and/orcables and pulleys, and master joints and a handle, and a slave unithaving force transmitting elements, e.g., a plurality of rigid slavelinks and/or cables and pulleys, and slave joints. The master unit maybe kinematically connected to the slave unit via the plurality of forcetransmission elements of both the master unit and the slave unit suchthat a movement of the master unit will be reproduced at the slave unitand each rigid link of the master unit remains parallel to acorresponding rigid link of the slave unit during such movement.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1A shows an exemplary teleoperated surgical robot constructed inaccordance with the principles of the present invention.

FIG. 1B illustrates four degrees-of-freedom of the end-effectorcontrollable by the handle of FIG. 1A.

FIGS. 1C and 1D show additional exemplary teleoperated surgical robotshaving the translational instrument interface of FIG. 1A.

FIG. 2 shows a partial view of an exemplary translational instrumentinterface constructed in accordance with the principles of the presentinvention.

FIG. 3 shows the exemplary slave hub of the translational instrumentinterface of FIG. 2 .

FIG. 4 shows the exemplary sterile shield of the translationalinstrument interface of FIG. 2 .

FIGS. 5A-C illustrate the insertion of the sterile shield of FIG. 4 intothe slave hub of FIG. 3 .

FIG. 6A shows the exemplary instrument of FIG. 2 , FIGS. 6B-C show theinstrument head of FIG. 6A, and FIG. 6D shows the end-effector of FIG.6A.

FIGS. 7A-C illustrate the insertion of the instrument of FIG. 6A intothe sterile shield of FIG. 4 within the slave hub of FIG. 3 .

FIG. 8 shows another exemplary translational instrument interfaceconstructed in accordance with the principles of the present invention.

FIGS. 9A-9D show yet another exemplary translational instrumentinterface constructed in accordance with the principles of the presentinvention.

FIGS. 10A and 10B show another exemplary slave hub wherein sevendegrees-of-freedom are actuated mechanically.

FIG. 10C illustrates an attachment interface for attaching the slave hubof FIGS. 10A and 10B to a teleoperated surgical instrument.

FIG. 11A illustrates an attachment interface for attaching a slave hubto a teleoperated surgical instrument having four degrees-of-freedomactuated mechanically and three degrees-of-freedom actuatedelectromechanically.

FIG. 11B illustrates an attachment interface for attaching a slave hubto a teleoperated surgical instrument having three degrees-of-freedomactuated mechanically and four degrees-of-freedom actuatedelectromechanically.

FIG. 12 depicts the translation movement of the translational instrumentinterface in accordance with an exemplary embodiment.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

A teleoperated surgical instrument, which may be used in minimallyinvasive surgical procedures or in other applications, constructed inaccordance with the principles of the present invention, is describedherein. Referring to FIG. 1A, exemplary teleoperated surgical instrument10 is illustrated having translational instrument interface 200 thatincludes detachable surgical instrument 500 having end-effector 506.Teleoperated surgical instrument 10 is designed in a master-slaveconfiguration where slave unit 30, made of a plurality of rigid slavelinks and slave joints, is driven kinematically by master unit 20, madeof a plurality of rigid master links and master joints. Preferably, eachpart of slave unit 30 mimics the movement of each corresponding part ofmaster unit 20 without deviating, during operation of the device, from aremote-center-of-motion (RCM). As will be understood by one skilled inthe art, two identical teleoperated surgical instruments may be operatedsimultaneously and independently from the other, e.g., one for thesurgeon's left hand, and another one for the surgeon's right hand.Preferably, the teleoperated instrument is optimized for use in surgicalprocedures.

As shown in FIG. 1A, slave unit 30 has a plurality of slave joints and aplurality of force transmitting slave elements, e.g., rigid links,cables and pulleys, and/or rod-based force transmission chains, andmaster unit 20 has a plurality of master joints and a plurality of forcetransmitting master elements, e.g., rigid links, cables and pulleys,and/or rod-based force transmission chains. The slave joints of slaveunit 30 and the master joints of master unit 20 may be coupled via theplurality of force transmitting master and slave elements extendingbetween the plurality of master joints of master unit 20 and theplurality of slave joints of slave unit 30 such that a force of masterunit 20 is reproduced by slave unit 30. For example, movement of masterunit 20 via handle 100 may control positioning of distal end 40 of slaveunit 30 and translational movement of surgical instrument 500 in thepatient. In one embodiment, rigid links are used to translate movementin the three translational degrees-of-freedom such that each rigid linkof master unit 20 remains parallel to a corresponding rigid link ofslave unit 30 during such movement. An exemplary master-slaveconfiguration of FIG. 1A is conceptually described in WO2016/162752 toBeira, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein byreference.

As seen in FIG. 1A, teleoperated surgical instrument 10 includes handle100 and translational instrument interface 200. Handle 100 preferablyincludes a plurality of rigid handle links and handle jointskinematically connected to slave unit 30 via a plurality of forcetransmitting elements, e.g. rigid links, cables and pulleys, and/orrod-based force transmission chains, extending between the handle jointsof handle 100 and the slave joints of slave unit 30 such that movementof handle 100 is reproduced by translational instrument interface 200.For example, movement of handle 100 may cause movement of end-effector506 of translational instrument interface 200 in three translationdegrees-of-freedom, e.g., left/right, upward/downward, inward/outward,as a force applied to a rigid link of handle 100 applies a force on theplurality of rigid links of master unit 30, which applies a force on theplurality of rigid links of slave unit 20, and which applies a force onend-effector 506. As shown in FIG. 1A, movement of handle 100 in leftdirection 21 causes end-effector 506 of translational instrumentinterface 200 to move in left direction 31, and movement of handle 100in right direction 22 causes end-effector 506 of translationalinstrument interface 200 to move in right direction 32. Movement ofhandle 100 in upward direction 23 causes end-effector 506 oftranslational instrument interface 200 to move in upward direction 33,and movement of handle 100 in downward direction 24 causes end-effector506 of translational instrument interface 200 to move in downwarddirection 34. Movement of handle 100 in outward direction 25 causesend-effector 506 of translational instrument interface 200 to move inoutward direction 35, and movement of handle 100 in inward direction 26causes end-effector 506 of translational instrument interface 200 tomove in inward direction 36. In addition, handle 100 may be rotatedcausing pronosupination of instrument 500, e.g., rotation of instrument500 about a longitudinal axis of instrument 500.

Handle 100 may be electrically coupled to translational instrumentinterface 200 and include a user interface, e.g., a plurality ofsensors, haptic elements, buttons, switches, triggers, or the like, thatwhen actuated, actuate movement of end-effector 506 of translationalinstrument interface 200 in a first articulation degree-of-freedom,e.g., pitch, and a second articulation degree-of-freedom, e.g., yaw, toprovide a human wrist-like dexterity, and a third actuationdegree-of-freedom, e.g., open or close. For example, handle 100 may becoupled to translational instrument interface 200 via electrical wiresextending from handle 100, through master unit 20 and slave unit 30, totranslational instrument interface 200.

Advantageously, teleoperated surgical instrument 10 may be designed suchthat micro movements at the end-effector in three degrees-of-freedom,e.g., open/close, pitch, yaw, are actuated electromechanically while thethree translational degrees-of-freedom of the end effector, i.e.,left/right, upward/downward, inward/outward, are controlledmechanically, via, for example, a plurality of rigid links. The seventhdegree-of-freedom, pronosupination, may be controlledelectromechanically or mechanically in the example. In this manner,teleoperated surgical instrument 10 provides the advantages ofelectromechanically controlled micro movements and the advantages ofmechanically controlled macro movements.

As shown in FIG. 1B, movement of handle 100 along direction 42 aboutaxis 43 causes end-effector 506 of translational instrument interface200 to yaw along direction 52 about axis 53. Movement of handle 100along direction 44 about axis 45 causes end-effector 506 oftranslational instrument interface 200 to pitch along direction 54 aboutaxis 55. Actuation of handle 100, e.g., pulling a trigger of handle 100in direction 46, causes end-effector 506 of translational instrumentinterface 200 to open or close along direction 56. In one embodiment,handle 100 may have an interface, that when actuated, e.g., along axialdirection 41, actuates movement of end-effector 506 of translationalinstrument interface 200 in a fourth rotation degree-of-freedom, e.g.,pronosupination, along axial direction 51. The interface may include,for example, buttons, switches, triggers, or the like.

Translational instrument interface 200 may operate with otherteleoperated surgical instruments, e.g., electromechanical and/ormechanical, as will be readily understood by one ordinarily skilled inthe art. In addition, as described in further detail below,translational instrument interface 200 may be electromechanical, e.g.,actuated via an electric motor, or mechanical, e.g., actuated viatranslational rigid link-driven transmission, hydraulic cylinders,and/or pneumatic elements. For example, when translational instrumentinterface 200 is electromechanical, translational instrument interface200 may be attached to and operated by a mechanical teleoperatedsurgical instrument, e.g., teleoperated surgical instrument 10, suchthat the translation degrees-of-freedom, e.g., left/right,upward/downward, inward/outward, are actuated mechanically, whereas thearticulation degrees-of-freedom, e.g., pitch and yaw, and the actuationdegree-of-freedom, e.g., open/close, are actuated electromechanically.As another example, when translational instrument interface 200 ismechanical e.g., actuated via translational rigid link-driventransmission, hydraulic cylinders, or pneumatic elements, thetranslation degrees-of-freedom, e.g., left/right, upward/downward,inward/outward, are actuated mechanically and the articulationdegrees-of-freedom, e.g., pitch and yaw, as well as the actuationdegree-of-freedom, e.g., open/close, are actuated mechanically.Additionally, the rotation degree-of-freedom, e.g., pronosupination, maybe actuated either electromechanically or mechanically via one or morecables and pulleys extending between handle 100 and translationalinstrument interface 200. Accordingly, in various examples, teleoperatedsurgical instrument 10 with translational instrument interface 200 has(i) seven degrees-of-freedom actuated mechanically, (ii) fourdegrees-of-freedom actuated mechanically and three degrees-of-freedomactuated electromechanically, or (iii) three degrees-of-freedom actuatedmechanically and four degrees-of-freedom actuated electromechanically.

As shown in FIG. 1C, translational instrument interface 200′ may beattached to and operated by mechanical teleoperated surgical instrument11. Translational instrument interface 200′ of FIG. 1C is constructedsimilar to translational instrument interface 200 of FIG. 1A. Theexemplary master-slave configuration of FIG. 1C is described in U.S.Patent Application Publication No. 2014/0195010 to Beira, the entirecontents of which are incorporated herein by reference, andpreviously-incorporated WO 2016/162752 to Beira. Similar to teleoperatedsurgical instrument 10, the macro movements in the translationdegrees-of-freedom, e.g., left/right, upward/downward, inward/outward,of teleoperated surgical instrument 11 are actuated mechanically,whereas the micro movements in the articulation degrees-of-freedom,e.g., pitch and yaw, and the micro movements in the actuationdegree-of-freedom, e.g., open/close, of translational instrumentinterface 200′ are actuated electromechanically. As another example,translational instrument interface 200′ is mechanical e.g., actuated viatranslational rigid link-driven transmission, hydraulic cylinders, orpneumatic elements, such that the translation degrees-of-freedom, e.g.,left/right, upward/downward, inward/outward, are actuated mechanicallyand the articulation degrees-of-freedom, e.g., pitch and yaw, as well asthe actuation degree-of-freedom, e.g., open/close, are actuatedmechanically. Additionally, the rotation degree-of-freedom, e.g.,pronosupination, of teleoperated surgical instrument 11 may be actuatedeither electromechanically or mechanically via a one or more cables andpulleys extending between handle 100′ and translational instrumentinterface 200′. Accordingly, in various examples, teleoperated surgicalinstrument 11 with translational instrument interface 200′ has (i) sevendegrees-of-freedom actuated mechanically, (ii) four degrees-of-freedomactuated mechanically and three degrees-of-freedom actuatedelectromechanically, or (iii) three degrees-of-freedom actuatedmechanically and four degrees-of-freedom actuated electromechanically.In the examples where teleoperated surgical instrument 11 has the threetranslational degrees-of-freedom actuated mechanically and the threearticulation/actuation degrees-of-freedom actuated electromechanically,teleoperated surgical instrument 11 provides the advantages ofelectromechanically controlled micro movements and the advantages ofmechanically controlled macro movements.

As shown in FIG. 1D, translational instrument interface 200″ may beattached to and operated by robotic slave unit 12 of anelectromechanical teleoperated surgical instrument. As will beunderstood by one skilled in the art, robotic slave unit 12 may beelectrically coupled, e.g., via electrical wiring extending from roboticslave unit 12, to a master unit of the electromechanical teleoperatedsurgical instrument having a handle (not shown). Translationalinstrument interface 200″ of FIG. 1D is constructed similar totranslational instrument interface 200 of FIG. 1A. Accordingly, thetranslation degrees-of-freedom, e.g., left/right, upward/downward,inward/outward, the articulation degrees-of-freedom, e.g., pitch andyaw, the actuation degree-of-freedom, e.g., open/close, and the rotationdegree-of-freedom, e.g., pronosupination, are actuatedelectromechanically. Accordingly, in various examples, teleoperatedsurgical instrument 12 with translational instrument interface 200″ hasseven degrees-of-freedom actuated electromechanically.

Referring now to FIG. 2 , an exemplary translational instrumentinterface constructed in accordance with one aspect of the presentinvention is described. Translational instrument interface 200 isdesigned to be mounted to distal end 40 of slave unit 30 of teleoperatedsurgical instrument 10. Translational instrument interface 200illustratively includes slave hub 300, sterile shield 400, andinstrument 500. As shown in FIG. 2 , sterile shield 400 is insertedwithin a lumen of slave hub 300, and instrument 500 is inserted within alumen of sterile shield 400, such that sterile shield 400 provides asterile, mechanical connection between slave hub 300 and instrument 500.Sterile shield 400 is removably coupled to slave hub 300, and instrument500 is removably coupled to sterile shield 400. In this manner, sterileshield 400 and instrument 500 may be inserted into, and removed fromslave hub 300 to insert and exchange instrument 500 during a surgicalprocedure, and to insert and remove sterile shield 400 before and aftersurgical use, respectively. In this manner, a used surgical instrumentmay be removed and exchanged for an unused surgical instrument forperforming another surgery, now with the unused surgical instrument.

Referring now to FIG. 3 , an exemplary slave hub constructed inaccordance with one aspect of the present invention is described. Slavehub 300 may be mounted to the distal end of slave unit 30, such as thoseof the teleoperated surgical instruments described herein, so that slavehub 300 is rotatable about its longitudinal axis, e.g., pronosupination.Slave hub 300 preferably includes lumen 302 sized and shaped to receivesterile shield 400, and drive unit 304 for actuating movement ofend-effector 506 of instrument 500 in one or more degrees-of-freedom.

Drive unit 304 illustratively includes three individual drive units,each for controlling one of three degrees-of-freedom. In the example ofa serial kinematics of end-effector 506, one drive unit may actuate theend-effector to open and/or close, another drive unit may articulatepitch of the end-effector, and the other drive unit may articulate yawof the end-effector. In the example of a serial-parallel kinematics ofend-effector 506, one drive unit may articulate the end-effector to yaw,and two drive units, each controlling one blade of end-effector 506, mayactuate the end-effector to perform the pitch articulation. In oneembodiment, drive unit 304 includes a fourth drive unit that articulatespronosupination of the end-effector. Given that the individual driveunits may be structurally and functionally identical, and as thedegree-of-freedom actuated depends on the arrangement of components ofthe end-effector, the description hereafter will refer to drive unit 304as representative of each individual drive unit.

In FIG. 3 , slave hub 300 includes upper plate 301 and lower plate 303such that drive unit 304 extends from one side of upper plate 301, inbetween upper plate 301 and lower plate 303, to an opposite side oflower plate 303. Drive unit 304 includes motor 306 and linear pointer308 coupled to receptacle 310. Motor 306 is preferably electricallycoupled to handle 100 via, e.g., electric wires and a control system,such that actuation of handle 100 via its user interface causes motor306 to operate in accordance with the principles of the presentinvention. For example, motor 306 may cause linear pointer 308 to movetranslationally along rod 312 by causing driver pulley 314 to rotate,wherein driver pulley 314 is kinematically connected to linear pointer308 via cable 316, e.g., flexible elements such as metallic or polymercables, or semi-rigid elements such as a metal band. Drive unit 304 mayinclude pulley 318 for converting motion of cable 316 due to axialrotation of driver pulley 314 to translational motion to translationallymove linear pointer 308.

Linear pointer 308 may have two individual linear pointers such thateach linear pointer is kinematically connected to driver pulley 314 viarespective cables or bands, and pulleys, and wherein each linear pointermoves in an opposite direction to one another, e.g., when driver pulley314 causes one linear pointer moves in one direction, the other linearpointer moves an equivalent amount in an opposite direction. In oneembodiment, the two linear pointers are coupled to driver pulley 314 viaa single cable. Thus, each drive unit may actuate movement of tworeceptacles via the two linear pointers of linear pointer 308. Linearpointer 308 is designed to move linearly along rod 312 responsive toactuation of motor 306. In one embodiment, the linear pointers arehydraulic or pneumatic pistons that move linearly.

Prior to insertion of instrument 500 into the lumen of sterile shield400 within lumen 302 of slave hub 300, slave hub 300 may maintain aminimum “off-use” tension to keep cable 316 in its proper pathway andprevent unraveling. For example, a minimum “off-use” tension may beachieved by closing the loop of cable 316 by applying a force to linearpointer 308 via cable 320, e.g., a metallic or polymeric cable, andpulley 322. Pulley 322 may be disposed on the opposite side of lowerplate 303 such that cable 320 extends from one of the linear pointers,over pulley 322, to the other linear pointer of liner pointer 308,thereby biasing linear pointer 308 toward lower plate 303.

When instrument 500 is inserted into sterile shield 400 within lumen 302of slave hub 300, as described in further detail below, slave hub 300may have an “in-use” tension such that translational instrumentinterface 200 may have enough rigidity to ensure force may betransmitted from slave hub 300 to instrument 500. The “in-use” tensionmay be much higher than the minimum “off-use” tension. This “in-use”tension may be provided by spring 324 disposed on one side of upperplate 301, in between upper plate 301 and drive plate 305. For example,prior to insertion of instrument 500 into the lumen of sterile shield400 within lumen 302 of slave hub 300, spring 324 may be in a released,uncompressed state. Upon insertion of instrument 500 into the lumen ofsterile shield 400, engagers of instrument 500 contact with linearpointers 308 applying a force to drive unit 304 in the direction oflower plate 303. This force compresses spring 324, setting cables 316 ofslave hub 300 and force transmitting elements of instrument 500 underproper tension and alignment.

Referring now to FIG. 4 , an exemplary sterile shield constructed inaccordance with one aspect of the present invention is described.Sterile shield 400 is sized and shaped to isolate the non-sterile slavehub 300 from sterile instrument 500 in the sterile environment and mayhave upper component 404 and lower component 406. In this manner,instrument 500 remains sterile throughout a surgical procedure and thenmay be reprocessed, or disposed of after a single use. Sterile shield400 also may be disposable after a single use, although sterile shield400 may be re-sterilized and reused after a surgical procedure.Advantageously, the portions of the teleoperated surgical instrumentthat contact tissue during surgery (preferably only instrument 500), aredisposable while the more complicated, expensive components of theteleoperated surgical instrument are reusable.

Sterile shield 400 includes lumen 402 sized and shaped to receiveinstrument 500 therein. Upper component 404 may be received by an upperend of lumen 302 of slave hub 300, e.g., proximal to upper plate 301.Lower component 406 may be received by a lower end of lumen 302 of slavehub 300, e.g., proximal to lower plate 303. Upper component 404 isshaped to engage with lower component 406 to form the sterile barrier.Upper component 404 may include slit 408 within lumen 402, shaped andsized to permit locking engagement between instrument 500 and sterileshield 400. For example, slit 408 may be sized and shaped to permit alocking pin of instrument 500 to enter and rotate with the rotation ofinstrument 500 such that the locking pin travels along slit 408 tosecure instrument 500 within lumen 402 of sterile shield 400, and tocreate a mechanical advantage that permits the compression of spring 324such that the cables are put in “in-use” tension as described above.

Sterile shield 400 illustratively includes moveable slider 410, toprovide a mechanical connection between receptacle 310 of slave hub 300and the corresponding actuator of instrument 500, described in furtherdetail below. Moveable slider 410 may move translationally along pathway412 (e.g., in a slot), parallel to the longitudinal axis of sterileshield 400, dependent on the mechanical forces transmitted from slavehub 300 to instrument 500. Moveable slider 410 preferably includes anamount of individual slide elements corresponding with the amount ofreceptacles of slave hub 300. For example, when slave hub 300 has threedrive units, each coupled to two linear pointers, slave hub 300 has sixreceptacles and accordingly, sterile shield 400 has six slide elements.Sterile shield 400 also may be integrated on sterile sleeve 414 tocreate a sterile barrier for the entire slave unit 30, or the entireteleoperated surgical instrument 10.

Referring now to FIGS. 5A-C, insertion of sterile shield 400 into slavehub 300 is described. As shown in FIG. 5A, upper component 404 ofsterile shield 400 may be inserted through an upper end of lumen 302 ofslave hub 300, e.g., proximal to upper plate 301, such that uppercomponent 404 is positioned within lumen 302 of slave hub 300. Lumen 302of slave hub 300 and upper component 404 may have a correspondingasymmetric shape, e.g., a water drop or asymmetrical triangle, such thatupper component 404 may only be inserted through lumen 302 in a specificaxial orientation.

As shown in FIG. 5B, when upper component 404 of sterile shield 400 ispositioned within lumen 302 of slave hub 300, receptacle 310 engageswith one side, e.g., bottom side, of moveable slider 410. As shown inFIG. 5B, moveable slider 410 and receptacle 310 may have across-sectional shape that maximizes transmission of mechanical forcefrom receptacle 310 to moveable slider 410, e.g., receptacle 310 mayhave a hook shape whereas moveable slider 410 may have an S-shapedcross-section to engage with receptacle 310 on one side, and acorresponding actuator of instrument 500 on the other, as described infurther detail below. As will be understood by one skilled in the art,moveable slider 410 and receptacle 310 could have other cross-sectionalshapes to maximize transmission of mechanical force from receptacle 310to moveable slider 410. Accordingly, as linear pointer 308 moves alongrod 312 of slave hub 300, receptacle 310 will apply a mechanical forceon moveable slider 410, such that both moveable slider 410 andreceptacle 310 will move translationally along pathway 410 of sterileshield 400.

As shown in FIG. 5C, lower component 406 of sterile shield 400 isinsertable through a lower end of lumen 302 of slave hub 300, e.g.,proximal to lower plate 303, such that lower component 406 is positionedwithin lumen 302 of slave hub 300 and engages with upper component 404.For example, lower component 406 may snap into upper component 404 tocreate a sterile barrier. In another example, lower component 406 may berotated into upper component 404 creating a locking engagement withupper component 404 such that upper component 404 cannot rotate relativeto lumen 302 of slave hub 300. Accordingly, upon insertion of instrument500 into lumen 402 of sterile shield 400, the rotation of instrument 500required to have the locking pins travel along slit 408 to secureinstrument 500 within lumen 402, as described in further detail below,does not result in a rotation of upper component 404 of sterile shield402. Lumen 302 of slave hub 300 and lower component 406 may have acorresponding asymmetric shape, a water drop or asymmetrical triangle,such that lower component 406 may only be inserted through lumen 302 ina specific axial orientation.

Referring now to FIG. 6A, an exemplary instrument constructed inaccordance with one aspect of the present invention is described. Asshown in FIG. 6A, instrument 500 illustratively includes head 502 at aproximal region of instrument 500, end-effector 506 at a distal regionof instrument 500 and shaft 504, which is preferably elongated,extending therebetween. Instrument 500 also may include lumen 508extending through head 502 and shaft 504. In one embodiment, lumen 508only extends through shaft 504. Instrument 500 is sized and shaped to beinserted through lumen 402 of sterile shield 400, and linearly engagewith slave hub 300 such that a force by slave hub 300 is translationallytransmitted to instrument 500 to actuate movement of end-effector 506 inone or more degrees-of-freedom, e.g., one, two, three or fourdegrees-of-freedom. Instrument 500 may be reusable but is preferablydisposable after a single use. Instrument 500 may not require anydegrees-of-freedom at end-effector 506, e.g. monopolar hooks used inelectrosurgery.

Referring now to FIGS. 6B-6C, head 502 is described in further detail.As shown in FIG. 6B, head 502 includes lumen 508 extending therethrough.Lumen 508 may be sized and shaped to receive electrical cableselectrically coupled to the electrosurgical generators when end-effector506 has electrosurgical instruments. Head 502 may have rotatable portion510 and fixed portion 512. Rotatable portion 510 rotates relative tofixed portion 512 about the longitudinal axis of instrument 500, e.g.,when instrument 500 is positioned within lumen 402 of sterile shield400. Rotatable portion 510 may include locking pins 514 sized and shapedto enter slit 408 of upper component 404 of sterile shield 400 such thatrotation of rotatable portion 510 causes locking pins 514 to enter slit408 and secure instrument 500 within sterile shield 400. As will beunderstood by one skilled in the art, locking pins 514 may have anyshape that may effectively secure instrument 500 within sterile shield400. Rotatable portion 510 may have grooves 516 along the surface ofrotatable portion 510 such that an operator of teleoperated surgicalinstrument 10 may achieve an enhanced grip and rotate rotatable portion510 easier.

Head 502 may include key 518, e.g., a puka-yoke, shaped and sized suchto ensure proper axial alignment of instrument 500 within sterile shield400. Accordingly, lumen 402 of sterile shield 400 includes a channel forreceiving key 518 as instrument 500 is inserted within sterile shield400.

In one embodiment, head 502 has an identification tag, e.g., RFID orbarcode, configured to store information regarding instrument 500, e.g.,instrument type, serial number, calibration data, range-of-motion,end-effector kinematics such as numbers and types of degrees-of-freedomincluding serial-serial, serial-parallel, yaw-pitch-actuate,pitch-yaw-actuate, roll-pitch-yaw-actuate, pitch-roll-actuate, etc., orcontrolling offsets. Such instrument information may be detected fromthe identification tag via a control system of the teleoperated surgicalinstrument by scanning the identification tag and/or electricallycoupling the teleoperated surgical instrument to instrument 500.

Head 502 preferably includes actuator 520 permitted to movetranslationally responsive to user input at the handle of theteleoperated surgical instrument to actuate movement at the end-effectorin multiple degrees-of-freedom. Preferably, actuator 520 is coupled toslave hub 300, e.g., via sterile shield 400, and translational movementat slave hub 300 causes the translational movement at actuator 520. Forexample, actuator 520 may include a plurality of engagers 521 thatindependently move translationally along corresponding linear pathways522 (e.g., slot in the proximal region of the shaft) responsive totranslational movement at corresponding receptacles 310 of slave hub 300coupled thereto, e.g., via corresponding sliders 410 of shield 400,caused by user input at the handle of the teleoperated surgicalinstrument. Actuator 520 is sized and shaped to contact moveable slider410 of sterile shield 400 on a side opposite to that of receptacle 310of slave hub 300. For example, actuator 520 may have a hook shape, orany other shape understood in the art to maximize transmission of forcebetween receptacle 310 and actuator 520. Actuator 520 may be coupled toend-effector 506 via a plurality of force transmitting elements disposedwithin lumen 508 of shaft 504, as described in further detail below.When actuated, actuator 520 applies force to end-effector 506 via theforce transmitting element(s) to move end-effector 506 in at least onedegree of freedom. For example, actuator 520 may move in a translationalmanner, e.g., in a direction parallel to the longitudinal axis ofelongated shaft 504, which in turn moves end-effector 506 via the forcetransmitting element couple therebetween.

In accordance with one aspect of the invention, instrument head 502 mayhave one standard size/diameter, whereas instrument shaft 504 andend-effector 506 have a range of diameters. Specifically, instrumenthead 502 may have a 10 mm diameter, whereas instrument shaft 504 andend-effector 506 may have diameters of 3 mm, 5 mm, 8 mm or 10 mm.Accordingly, slave hub 300 and sterile shield 400 may be sized andshaped to accept instruments having different diameters. Clinically,this allows for a range of tools to be used, depending on the procedure.

As shown in FIG. 6C, actuator 520 may be coupled to force transmittingelement 524, e.g., rigid elements such as steel, composite or polymericrods, flexible elements such as tungsten, steel, polymer, or Dyneemacables, wires or ropes, or semi-rigid elements such as a metal band, atone end, wherein force transmitting element 524 is coupled to acomponent of end-effector 506 at its other end such that actuation ofactuator 520 actuates movement of end-effector 506 in one of threedegrees-of-freedom. As is described above, actuator 520 also may includea plurality of engagers 521. For example, actuator 520 may include afirst engager coupled to a first component of end-effector 506 via afirst force transmitting element to move end-effector 506 in a firstdegree-of-freedom, e.g., open and close, responsive to force applied atthe first engager, a second engager coupled to a second componentend-effector 506 via a second force transmitting element to moveend-effector 506 in a second degree-of-freedom, e.g., pitch, responsiveto force applied at the second engager, and a third engager coupled to athird component of end-effector 506 via a third force transmittingelement to move end-effector 506 in a third degree-of-freedom, e.g.,yaw, responsive to force applied at the third engager. The forcesapplied to the first, second, and third engagers of actuator 520 mayapplied, e.g., via a first, second, or third hydraulic and/or a first,second, or third motor of the slave hub, responsive to user input athandle 100. In one embodiment, actuator 520 includes a fourth engagercoupled to a fourth component of end-effector 506 via a fourth forcetransmitting element to move end-effector 506 in a fourthdegree-of-freedom, e.g., pronosupination, responsive to force applied atthe fourth engager, e.g., via a fourth hydraulic, one or more cables andpulleys extending from translational instrument interface 200 to handle100, and/or a fourth motor electrically coupled to the user interface atthe handle 100.

In accordance with one aspect, each engager 521 is independentlyactuatable responsive to user input applied at handle 100 of thesurgical robot. For example, a user actuates actuator 520 responsive touser input applied at the user interface at handle 100 by, e.g., movinga three-dimensional joystick, which in turn activates a correspondingmotor at slave hub 300 to translationally move engager 521 along theproximal end of instrument 500. e.g., parallel to the longitudinal axisof shaft 504. Such translational movement of engager 521 moves forcetransmitting element 524 coupled thereto which moves end-effector 506 ina degree-of-freedom.

As will be readily apparent to one skilled in the art, while a singleengager is described for each degree-of-freedom, each engager mayinclude a pair of engagers as illustrated. For example, three pairs ofengagers may be used to control three degrees-of-freedom, each pair ofengagers controlling a degree-of-freedom. Each pair of engagers iskinematically connected to the respective component of end-effector 506via one or more force transmitting elements 524 that will control therespective degree-of-freedom. Each individual engager of a pair ofengagers moves in an opposite direction to one another, e.g., when areceptacle applies a force to an engager causing the engager to move inone direction, the corresponding engager of the pair will move in anequivalent amount in an opposite direction. Thus, each drive unit ofslave hub 300 may actuate movement of a pair of engagers via the tworeceptacles coupled to linear pointer 308.

Prior to insertion of instrument 500 into sterile shield 400, instrument500 may maintain a minimum “off-use” tension to keep force transmittingelement 524 in its proper pathway and prevent unraveling. For example, aminimum “off-use” tension may be achieved by closing the loop of forcetransmitting element 524 by applying a force to actuator 520 via cable526, e.g., a metallic or polymeric cable, and pulley 528 disposed withinhead 502. Pulley 528 may be disposed toward rotatable portion 510 ofhead 502 such that cable 526 extends from one of the engagers, overpulley 528, to the another engager of a pair of engagers of actuator520.

Referring now to FIG. 6D, an exemplary end-effector is described.Translational instrument interface 200 may be electrically coupled tohandle 100 to connect the movement in the multiple degrees-of-freedom ofend-effector 506 to movement controllability in the correspondingdegrees-of-freedom of handle 100 such that end-effector 506 replicatesthe movements of handle 100 when teleoperated surgical instrument 10 isoperated. As described above, each engager 521 of actuator 520 may becoupled to a respective component of end-effector 506 that will controlthe respective degree-of-freedom via respective pair of forcetransmitting elements 524. For example, the first engager may be coupledto yaw component 530 of end-effector 506 via an element of forcetransmitting element 524 such that actuation of the first engager willarticulate the yaw degree-of-freedom of end-effector 506; a secondengager may be coupled to pitch component 532 of end-effector 506 via anelement of force transmitting element 524 such that actuation of thesecond engager will articulate the pitch degree-of-freedom ofend-effector 506; and a third engager may be coupled to open and closecomponent 534 of end-effector 506 via an element of force transmittingelement 524 such that actuation of the third engager will actuate theopen and close degree-of-freedom of end-effector 506. Thepronosupination degree-of-freedom of end-effector 506 may be actuatedvia the master-slave configuration of teleoperated surgical instrument10 such that a rotation of handle 100 causes slave unit 30 to rotateslave hub 300, e.g., via one or more cables and pulleys extending fromhandle 100 to slave hub 300, and effectively end-effector 506. In oneembodiment, a fourth engager may be coupled to a pronosupinationcomponent of end-effector 506 via an element of force transmittingelement 524 such that actuation of the fourth engager will articulatethe pronosupination degree-of-freedom of end-effector 506.

Referring now to FIGS. 7A-C, insertion of instrument 500 into sterileshield 400 within slave hub 300 is described. As shown in FIG. 7A,instrument 500 may be inserted within lumen 402 of sterile shield 400.As described above, instrument head 502 may include key 518 (not shown)such that instrument 500 may be properly aligned within sterile shield400, e.g., each engager 521 of actuator 520 engages with thecorresponding receptacle 310 of slave hub 300 and moveable slider 410 ofsterile shield 400 as shown in FIG. 7B. As sterile shield 400 ispositioned within lumen 302 of slave hub 300, at least one of thereceptacles of receptacle 310 may not be in contact with thecorresponding moveable slider 410; however, as instrument 500 isinserted within lumen 402 of sterile shield 400, the correspondingactuator 520 will contact moveable slider 410 and push moveable slider410 translationally along pathway 412 such that the other side ofmoveable slider 410 contacts the corresponding receptacle 310, therebyensuring proper and automatic alignment of actuator 520, moveable slider410, and receptacle 310.

In one embodiment, receptacle 310, moveable slider 410, and actuator 520may be arranged such that they collectively allow for reverse insertionof instrument 500 within sterile shield 400. For example, instrument 500may first be inserted within a trocar, then pulled back to insertsterile shield 400 in a distal-to-proximal direction, e.g., from lowercomponent 406 toward upper component 404.

Teleoperated surgical instrument 10 may have a control system incommunication with one or more sensors disposed on teleoperated surgicalinstrument 10 and an alarm system. For example, if an actuation ofhandle 100 causes receptacle 310 to be in a position that wheninstrument 500 is inserted within sterile shield 400, actuator 520attempts to cause an undesirable articulation of end-effector 506, e.g.,due to inherent design of the instrument or potential collision with atrocar when the end-effector is still inside the trocar lumen uponinstrument insertion, at least one of the one or more sensors may detectlack of proper alignment, e.g., a torque sensor integrates within driveunit 304 or by measuring the current of motor 306, and the controlsystem may generate an alarm via the alarm system based on the detectionby the sensor. The control system may alternatively, cause drive unit304 to move receptacle 310 in a direction that improves alignment.

As shown in FIG. 7C, when instrument 500 is positioned within sterileshield 400, rotatable portion 510 of instrument 500 may be rotated viagrooves 516 such that locking pins 514 enters slit 408 of sterile shield400 to secure instrument 500 within sterile shield 400.

Referring now to FIG. 8 , another exemplary translational instrumentinterface constructed in accordance with another aspect is described.Translational instrument interface 600 is constructed similarly totranslational instrument interface 200 of FIG. 2 , such that instrument602 corresponds with instrument 500 of translational instrumentinterface 200, and sterile interface 604 corresponds with sterile shield400 of translational instrument interface 200. Translational instrumentinterface 600 differs from translational instrument interface 200 inthat drive unit 606 has a pair of single-acting hydraulic cylinders 608a and 608 b instead of electrical motor 304. Hydraulic cylinders 608 aand 608 b are actuated responsive to mechanical movement at the handleof the teleoperated surgical instrument. Each of hydraulic cylinders 608a and 608 b is directly coupled to first and second linear pointers 610a and 610 b, respectively, wherein each of first and second linearpointers 610 a and 610 b is coupled to first and second receptacles 612a and 612 b (not shown), which are coupled to the end-effector ofinstrument 602 in the same manner as translational instrument interface200, such that hydraulic cylinders 608 a and 608 b may actuate movementof the end-effector of instrument 602. As such, translational instrumentinterface 200 may be coupled to a slave unit of a purely mechanicalteleoperated surgical robot, wherein the handle does not include anyelectronic instruments such that the end-effector of instrument 602 isactuated by force transmission elements extending from the end-effector,through the master-slave configuration of the surgical robot, to thehandle. In another embodiment, the drive unit includes a pneumatic driveelement instead of hydraulic cylinders.

Referring now to FIG. 9A, yet another exemplary translational instrumentinterface constructed in accordance with another aspect is described.Translational instrument interface 700 is constructed similarly totranslational instrument interface 200 of FIG. 2 , such that instrument702 corresponds with instrument 500 of translational instrumentinterface 200, and sterile interface 704 corresponds with sterile shield400 of translational instrument interface 200. Translational instrumentinterface 700 differs from translational instrument interface 200 inthat drive unit 706 transmits linear motion to instrument 702 via asystem of lead screws and gears instead of cables and pulleys. Forexample, as illustrated in FIGS. 9A and 9B, drive unit 706 includesmotor 708 coupled to motor gear 710. Motor gear 710 is operativelyengaged with first and second actuator gears 712 a and 712 b. As shown,motor gear 710 and first and second actuator gears 712 a and 712 b areoperatively engaged such that rotation of motor gear 710 in, forexample, a clockwise direction, will cause adjacent first actuator gear712 a to rotate in the opposite direction, e.g., counter-clockwise,which will then cause second actuator gear 712 b to rotate in adirection opposite to that of first actuator gear 712 a, e.g.,clockwise. Accordingly, first and second actuator gears 712 a and 712 bwill move in opposite directions.

Each of first and second actuator gears 712 a and 712 b is coupled tofirst and second leadscrews 714 a and 714 b, respectively, which in turnare each operatively engaged with first and second leadscrew nuts 716 aand 716 b, respectively. For example, when motor 708 causes firstleadscrew 714 a to rotate via motor gear 710 and first actuator gear 712a, first leadscrew nut 716 will translationally move up or down,depending on the rotational direction of first leadscrew 714 a, alongthe longitudinal axis of first leadscrew 714 a. As illustrated in FIG.9B, each drive unit 706 may include first and second linear sensors 722a and 722 b, for sensing the linear position of first and secondleadscrew nuts 716 a and 716 b, respectively. For example, each of firstand second leadscrew nuts 716 a and 716 b may include first and secondsensor tags 726 a and 726 b coupled thereon, respectively, such thatfirst and second linear sensors 722 a and 722 b senses the linearposition of first and second leadscrew nuts 716 a and 716 b based on thesensed position of first and second sensor tags 726 a and 726 b. Inaddition, first and second linear sensors 722 a and 722 b may be inelectrical communication with the control system of teleoperatedsurgical instrument 10 to transmit information indicative of theposition of the end-effector components.

Referring back to FIG. 9A, each of first and second leadscrew nuts 716 aand 716 b is coupled to first and second receptacles 718 a and 718 b,respectively, which are each coupled to the actuators of instrument 702as described above. Thus, as first and second actuator gears 712 a and712 b move in opposite directions, receptacles 718 a and 718 b will movetranslationally in opposite directions, e.g., as leadscrew nut 716 amoves upward, leadscrew nut 716 b will move downward, and vice versa. Inaddition, first and second receptacles 718 a and 718 b prevent rotationof first and second leadscrew nuts 716 a and 716 b about thelongitudinal axes of first and second leadscrews 714 a and 714 b, suchthat only translational movement along the longitudinal axes of firstand second leadscrews 714 a and 714 b is permitted. For example, firstand second receptacles 718 a and 718 b are coupled to the actuators ofinstrument 702 via first and second sterile interface sliders 724 a (notshown) and 724 b, respectively, as illustrated in FIG. 9C, which engagewith first and second receptacles 718 a and 718 b so as to preventrotation thereof. FIG. 9D illustrates second receptacle 718 b coupled toactuator 728 of instrument 702 with second sterile interface slider 724b omitted for clarity.

As will be understood by a person having ordinary skill in the art,translational instrument interface 700 may include more than one driveunit, each drive unit designed to transmit translational motion toinstrument 702, to thereby actuate the end-effector of instrument 702 ina corresponding degree of freedom as described above. For example,translational instrument interface 700 may include three drive unitssuch that micro movements at the end-effector in threedegrees-of-freedom, e.g., open/close, pitch, and yaw, are actuatedelectromechanically. The seventh degree-of-freedom, pronosupination, maybe controlled electromechanically or mechanically via pronosupinationpulley 720. For example, pronosupination pulley 720 may be actuated viaa system of cables and pulley or a plurality of rigid links, or via afourth motor coupled to translational instrument interface 700 via,e.g., a cable.

Referring now to FIG. 10A, an exemplary slave hub wherein sevendegrees-of-freedom are actuated mechanically is described. Slave hub 800is constructed similarly to slave hub 300 of FIG. 3 . For example,driver pulleys 808 a, 808 b, and 808 c correspond with driver pulleys312. Slave hub 800 differs from slave hub 300 in that instead of one ormore motors causing the driver pulleys of slave hub 800 to rotate, eachof driver pulleys 808 a, 808 b, and 808 c is coupled to planetary gears803 a, 803 b, and 803 c, respectively, each dedicated to actuate theend-effector of an instrument coupled to slave hub 800 in a respectivedegree-of-freedom, e.g., open/close, yaw, and pitch. Thus, actuation ofplanetary gears 803 a, 803 b, and 803 c causes driver pulleys 808 a, 808b, and 808 c to rotate, thereby transmitting linear motion to the linearpointers of slave hub 800 to actuate one of three degrees-of-freedom ofthe end-effector. Each of planetary gears 803 a, 803 b, and 803 c iscoupled to one of actuation pulleys 802 a, 802 b, or 802 c suspendedabout slave hub 800, which in turn are each coupled to one of pair ofpulleys 806 a, 806 b, 806 c, respectively, via 804 a, 804 b, 804 c. Thecorresponding pulleys of each pair of pulleys of pair of pulleys 806 a,806 b, 806 c rotate in an equal amount in an opposite direction to eachother to thereby rotate the respective actuation pulley and driverpulley. In addition, slave hub 800 includes pronosupination pulley 802 dfor actuating the seventh rotational degree-of-freedom, pronosupination.For example, pronosupination pulley 802 d may be fixed to slave hub 800such that rotation thereof via cable 804 d and pair of pulleys 806 dcauses slave hub 800 to rotate, thereby causing the teleoperatedsurgical instrument and thus the end-effector to rotate.

As illustrated in FIG. 10B, rotation of actuation pulley 802 a causesrotation of planetary gear 803 a, which causes rotation of driver pulley808 a. Rotation of driver pulley 808 a causes linear pointers 308 a and308 b to move translationally up or down in equal amounts in oppositedirections as described above, thereby moving receptacles 310 a and 310b translationally to transmit movement to the teleoperated surgicalinstrument to actuate the end-effector in a first degree-of-freedom.

Referring back to FIG. 10A, each of actuation pulleys 802 a, 802 b, and802 c, and pronosupination pulley 802 d is operatively coupled to a pairof driver pulleys 810 a, 810 b, 810 c, and 810 d via a pair of pulleys806 a, 806 b, 806 c, and 806 d and cables 804 a, 804 b, 804 c, and 804d, respectively. The pairs of driver pulleys 810 a, 810 b, 810 c, and810 d are operatively coupled to the teleoperated surgical instrumentsuch that movement at the handle of the teleoperated surgical instrumentis transmitted to translational instrument interface 801, and ultimatelyto the end-effector. For example, slave hub 800 may be attached toteleoperated surgical instrument via attachment interface 801 as shownin FIG. 10C. As will be understood by a person having ordinary skill inthe art, more or less pulleys and cables may be coupled to actuationpulleys 802 a, 802 b, and 802 c, and pronosupination pulley 802 d, foractuation thereof by the teleoperated surgical instrument.

As described above, in various examples, a teleoperated surgicalinstrument with a translational instrument interface may have (i) fourdegrees-of-freedom actuated mechanically and three degrees-of-freedomactuated electromechanically, (ii) three degrees-of-freedom actuatedmechanically and four degrees-of-freedom actuated electromechanically,or (iii) seven degrees-of-freedom actuated mechanically. Referring nowto FIG. 11A, attachment interface 900 for attaching, for example, slavehub 300, to a teleoperated surgical instrument having fourdegrees-of-freedom actuated mechanically and three degrees-of-freedomactuated electromechanically is described. Attachment interface 900 iscoupled to a distal end of the teleoperated surgical instrument, and issized and shaped to receive slave hub 300. As shown in FIG. 11A, slavehub 300 includes pronosupination pulley 902 for moving slave hub 300 inthe rotational degree-of-freedom. Pronosupination pulley 902 isoperatively coupled to first and second actuation pulleys 906 a and 906b via pronosupination cable 904. As first and second actuation pulleys906 a and 906 b rotate in equal amounts in opposite directions,pronosupination cable 904 causes pronosupination pulley 902 to rotateslave hub 300. As will be understood by a person having ordinary skillin the art, any slave hub or translational instrument interfacedescribed herein may be coupled to attachment interface 900, e.g.,translational instrument interface 600 or translational instrumentinterface 700.

Referring now to FIG. 11B, attachment interface 1000 for attaching, forexample, slave hub 300, to a teleoperated surgical instrument havingthree degrees-of-freedom actuated mechanically and fourdegrees-of-freedom actuated electromechanically is described. Attachmentinterface 1000 is similar to attachment interface 900 except thatinstead of first and second actuation pulleys 906 a and 906 b foractuating pronosupination pulley 902, attachment interface 1000 includesmotor 1002 and actuation pulley 1006. For example, motor 1002 causespronosupination pulley 902 to rotate by rotating actuation pulley 1006which is operatively coupled to pronosupination pulley 902 viapronosupination cable 1004. As will be understood by a person havingordinary skill in the art, any slave hub or translational instrumentinterface described herein may be coupled to attachment interface 1000,e.g., translational instrument interface 600 or translational instrumentinterface 700.

As shown in FIG. 12 , a movement α of receptacle 310 caused by motor 306will efficiently be translationally transmitted to actuator 520, therebycausing corresponding movement β at end-effector 506.

While various illustrative embodiments of the invention are describedabove, it will be apparent to one skilled in the art that variouschanges and modifications may be made therein without departing from theinvention. The appended claims are intended to cover all such changesand modifications that fall within the true scope of the invention.

1. An instrument, comprising: a shaft including a proximal end and adistal end, the shaft defining a lumen extending between the proximalend and the distal end; an end effector disposed at the distal end ofthe shaft; and an actuator disposed at the proximal end of the shaft,the actuator including a tubular body and a plurality of engagersperipherally disposed with respect to the tubular body, wherein each ofthe plurality of engagers is coupled to the end effector via a forcetransmitting element disposed in the lumen, wherein each of theplurality of engagers is further configured to be coupled to areceptacle of a plurality of receptacles of a surgical robotic systemand to be translationally driven, via movement of the receptacle, by adrive unit of the surgical robotic system to actuate movement of the endeffector in at least one degree-of-freedom.
 2. The instrument of claim1, wherein the plurality of engagers are evenly spaced about a peripheryof the tubular body.
 3. The instrument of claim 1, further comprising ahead including a rotatable portion configured to rotate about alongitudinal axis of the shaft to lock the instrument to a sterileinterface configured to be coupled to the surgical robotic system. 4.The instrument of claim 3, wherein the head further includes a keyconfigured to align the instrument with the sterile interface.
 5. Theinstrument of claim 1, wherein the plurality of engagers are configuredto move parallel to a longitudinal axis of the shaft.
 6. The instrumentof claim 1, wherein the plurality of engagers include pairs of engagers,each pair of engagers configured to move together such thattranslational movement of a first engager of the pair of engagers inresponse to being translationally driven induces translational movementof a second engager of the pair of engagers.
 7. The instrument of claim6, wherein the translational movement of the first engager of each pairof engagers in a first direction induces the translational movement ofthe second engager of each pair of engagers in a second directionopposite to the first direction.
 8. The instrument of claim 6, whereinthe plurality of engagers include three pairs of engagers.
 9. Theinstrument of claim 1, wherein the tubular body defines a plurality ofslots, and each of the plurality of engagers extends through a slot ofthe plurality of slots and is configured to be translationally drivenalong a pathway defined by the slot.
 10. An instrument, comprising: ashaft comprising a proximal end and a distal end, the shaft defining alumen extending between the proximal end and the distal end; an endeffector disposed at the distal end of the shaft; and an actuatordisposed at the proximal end of the shaft, the actuator comprising atubular body and a plurality of engagers evenly spaced about a peripheryof the tubular body, wherein each of the plurality of engagers iscoupled to the end effector via a force transmitting element disposed inthe lumen, p1 wherein each of the plurality of engagers is furtherconfigured to be translationally driven by a drive unit of a surgicalrobotic system to actuate movement of the end effector in at least onedegree-of-freedom.
 11. The instrument of claim 10, wherein each of theplurality of engagers is further configured to be coupled to areceptacle of a plurality of receptacles of the surgical robotic system,each of the plurality of engagers configured to be translationallydriven by the drive unit via the receptacle coupled to the engager. 12.The instrument of claim 10, further comprising a head including arotatable portion configured to rotate about a longitudinal axis of theshaft to lock the instrument to a sterile interface configured to becoupled to the surgical robotic system.
 13. The instrument of claim 12,wherein the head further includes a key configured to align theinstrument with the sterile interface.
 14. The instrument of claim 10,wherein the plurality of engagers are configured to move parallel to alongitudinal axis of the shaft.
 15. The instrument of claim 10, whereinthe plurality of engagers include pairs of engagers, each pair ofengagers configured to move together such that translational movement ofa first engager of the pair of engagers in response to beingtranslationally driven induces translational movement of a secondengager of the pair of engagers.
 16. The instrument of claim 15, whereinthe translational movement of the first engager of each pair of engagersin a first direction induces the translational movement of the secondengager of each pair of engagers in a second direction opposite to thefirst direction.
 17. The instrument of claim 15, wherein the pluralityof engagers include three pairs of engagers.
 18. The instrument of claim10, wherein the tubular body defines a plurality of slots, and each ofthe plurality of engagers extends through a slot of the plurality ofslots and is configured to be translationally driven along a pathwaydefined by the slot.
 19. A system, comprising: a sterile interfacecomprising a first component and a second component, wherein the firstcomponent is configured to be coupled to a first side of an instrumenthub of a surgical robotic system and the second component is configuredto be coupled to a second side of the instrument hub, wherein the firstand second components define an opening therethrough; an instrumentconfigured to be inserted through the opening of the sterile interfaceand coupled with the surgical robotic system, the instrument including:a shaft, an end effector disposed at a distal end of the shaft, and anactuator disposed at a proximal end of the shaft, the actuatorcomprising a tubular body and a plurality of engagers peripherallydisposed with respect to the tubular body, wherein the instrument, whencoupled to the surgical robotic system, is configured to betranslationally driven by a drive unit of the surgical robotic system toactuate movement of the end effector in at least one degree-of-freedom.20. The system of claim 19, wherein the first component of the sterileinterface is configured couple to the second component of the sterileinterface when the first and second components are respectively coupledto the first and second sides of the instrument hub.
 21. The system ofclaim 19, wherein at least one of the first and second components of thesterile interface includes an asymmetric shape that is configured toorient the sterile interface relative to the instrument hub.
 22. Thesystem of claim 19, wherein the instrument further includes a headincluding a rotatable portion configured to rotate about a longitudinalaxis of the shaft to lock the instrument to the sterile interface. 23.The system of claim 22, wherein the head further includes a keyconfigured to align the instrument with the sterile interface.
 24. Asystem, comprising: an instrument hub defining a lumen therethrough, theinstrument hub including a plurality of drive units disposed around thelumen; an instrument configured to be inserted through the lumen andcoupled to the instrument hub, the instrument including: a shaft, an endeffector disposed at a distal end of the shaft, and an actuator disposedat a proximal end of the shaft, the actuator comprising a tubular bodyand a plurality of engagers peripherally disposed with respect to thetubular body, wherein each of the plurality of engagers, when theinstrument is coupled to the instrument hub, is coupled to a drive unitof the plurality of drive units and configured to be translationallydriven by the drive unit to actuate movement of the end effector in atleast one degree-of-freedom.
 25. The system of claim 24, wherein theinstrument hub further includes a plurality of receptacles, wherein eachof the plurality of drive units is configured to translationally driveat least one of the plurality of receptacles, and wherein each of theplurality of engagers is configured to be coupled to a receptacle of theplurality of receptacles such that the engager is configured to betranslationally driven by the drive unit via the receptacle.
 26. Thesystem of claim 25, wherein each of the plurality of drive units isconfigured to translationally drive two of the plurality of receptaclesto actuate the movement of the end effector in one degree-of-freedom.27. The system of claim 25, further comprising a sensor configured tomeasure a torque or a current associated with at least one of theplurality of drive units to detect an improper alignment between atleast one of the plurality of engagers and at least one of the pluralityof receptacles.
 28. The system of claim 24, wherein the plurality ofengagers are evenly spaced about a periphery of the tubular body.